hit the bull's eye
Meaning
- the center of a target
- when an outcome is the best one possible
- to be on point
- to hit the center of a target successfully
- get something exactly right, or be on target
Example Sentences
- It can't hurt to go right for the bull's eye - there's nothing wrong with getting things right the first time.
- The governor hit the bull's eye with his most recent speech.
- The finance minister's speech on attracting new investments hit the bull's eye.
- John often seemed to hit the bull's eye when it came to predictions.
- She hit a bull's eye in the dart competition. (literal example)
Origin
The phrase "bull's eye" is speculated to have more than one possible origin and several confirmed meanings and uses. One of the earliest uses of the term dates back to the 1680s, when it was used to describe different circular holes or objects. At one time, it was used to describe a blemish in the center of a windowpane.
"Bull's eye" became associated with hitting a target beginning with archers in 1880s England. English yeomen would try and shoot through the eye of a bull's empty skull to showcase their expertise and showmanship.
It has also been thought that typical dart and archer targets look like the black of the eye of a bull or that the black center looked like a five-shilling coin commonly referred to as a "bull's eye".
